Turnaway Study Noted for "the Ordinariness of It"

New York Times (Dec. 14, 2016): Abortion Is Found to Have Little Effect on Women’s Mental Health, by Pam Belluck:

A new study comparing women who had abortions with those who were turned away at clinics finds that women who have abortions do not experience more negative psychological effects.  This finding is contrary to the familiar lore that women who have abortions experience emotional and psychological trauma and thus need mental health counseling before they undergo the procedure.  Such counseling is required in twenty-two states.   Conservative state legislatures have used this mythos effectively to pass a number of restrictions on abortion.

The study sought to cure some of the methodological failings of previous studies by comparing two groups of women, both of which seek abortions, rather than comparing women who desire an abortion with women who wish to carry their pregnancies to term.  The test subjects were followed up every six months for five years.  It turns out that women who seek abortions and are refused suffer more than anyone.  They experience more anxiety, lower self-esteem, and less satisfaction than women who are able to obtain an abortion.  Luckily, their mental distress is short-lived, whether they successfully seek abortion elsewhere or give birth.